Web-controlling mechanism



Jan. 9,-1945. R, cLARKE 2,367,005

` wEB-coNTRQLLING MEcHANrsM Filed June 12, 1942 .QN ooooooooa EN Patented Jan. 9, 1.945

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE wan-CONTROLLING MECHANISM Laurence It. Clarke, Newton, Mass., lasslgnor to Haartz-Mason-Grower Company, Watertown, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application :une iz, 1942, vsei-isi No. 446,792

' s claims. roi' zs-ss) commonly a rubber composition including naph- This invention relates to web-controlling mechanism for machines for coating or impregnating cloth and for other machines of tliat class through which a web of cloth or other sheet material vof indeterminate length is passed for treatment or otherwise` and the invention has for its object to provide for properly directing the move ment 'of the webthrough the machine and also to prevent the formation of longitudinal folds or creases therein.

To this end Iprovide a machine of the classl Figure 1 is a diagrammatic longitudinal sec I tha as a solvent. The web travels through the machine as indicated by the arrows and is coated v'apparatus may be as usual lin doubling or facing machines as heretofore constructed.

tional view ofl a. cloth-coating machine condisposed adjacent to, and in front of. the main Figure 5 is a lsection on line l-I of Fig. 2, 1

Figure 64s an enlarged sectional detail here- ,l inafter referred to.

In Fig. l of the drawingA Il represents a cloth web which is drawn through a constricted passage existing between .a pair of rolls Il and' I2 which are driven in the directions indicated by the arrows. The web Il may be supplied t0 the vapparatus in the fox-m of a roll Ila wound yupon a' core I3 that is rotatably supported in the polition shown.` From the roll lola the web 'Il is led around a guide roll Il `and then back to and partly around the roll Il'a to a guide roll Il from which it extends to and between the rolls Il and l2. From the rolls Il andl2 the web travels' horizontally to and around a cylindrical guide roll Il and thence around another guide roll l1 to a core Il on to which it is wound into a roll llb.

When a roll Ila of cloth'is placed within the apparatus of Fig. 1 and its outer end has been passed around rolls I4, Il, Il. Il and l1 and fastened to the core Il, the'machine is started after which a bank of somewhat iluid or stil! viscous adhesive agent, or rubber composition, Il

A is deposited upon web Il immediately in front ot rolls Il and Il. 'nie adhesive material As the saturated web travels horizontally from rolls Il and l2 to the guide roll Il it passes over steam heated pipes 20 which assist in drying the coating-or saturating agent by removing the solvent therefrom.

The web I I is moved from the rolls Il and I2 to the take-up roll lub by rotation of the nlatter in the direction indicated so that the partially dried portion of the web adjacent to and approaching guide roll I8 is under considerable tension. This tension will, if uncontrolled, cause longitudinal creases and folds to form in the web as it approaches and passes into engagement with the guide roll It,v and it is the primary object `ci' this invention to 'obviate this objectionable feature characterizing machines of this type as heretofore constructed.

To accomplish this object I provide an. auxiliary web-supporting and web-guiding idler roller. R

guide roll Il so as to engage the partially dried heat-treated portion of the web I0 as the latter approaches saidjmain guide roll.

The idler roller R illustrated in Figs. 2 to 5.

inclusive, comprises'a wood core 2l of bi-conic orbi-conoidal form which is approximately three and onehalt inches in diameter at its middle,V

nity-eight inches long and two and one-quarter inches in'diameter at its opposite ends. The

'opposite ends o! core 2| `,are formed with axial bores into which are driven gudgeons 22 whose outer end portions provide Journals which are rotatably supported in bearings provided upon the opposite side sections of the frame 22 of the machine.

lOne-half of core 2| is provided with a metallic Jacket 23 consisting of a length of round wire closely wound thereon in a right-hand direction.

while the other half of the core is provided with a metallic Jacket 24 consisting of a length oi round wire closely wound thereon'in a lett-hand direction. The wire employed for'these jacketsA may be one-eighth inch in diameter or thereabouts.

The inner end portion of the wire of each Jacket 2l and 24 is bent laterally to occupy a radial socket 2|,.Fig. 5. formedin vcore 2| and u a me end portion a securely :ma within sam' socket by a wedge 2l. 'I'he outer end portion of the wire'of each Jacket is threaded through a hole 21, Figs. 3 and'4, formed in core 2l and is provided at its extremity with an eye 2B that is fastened'in position against the end of the corel0. Under these conditions the idler roller performs the two'important functions of maintaining the incompletely dried web in an unwrinkled condition as it passes on to the guide roll I6 thereby eliminating the objectionable longitudinal folds and creases referred to, and of holding the web against edgewise or lateral displacement relatively to guide roll I6. 'I'he first-mentioned function is performed through the action of the opposed spiral windings 23 and 24 which urge or stretch the web laterally in opposite directions lfrom-its middle, while the second function is accomplished by`the crowned or bi-conoidal shape of the idler.

The wire windings 23 and 24 provide the exterior of the idler with right'bnd left hand helical ribs as will be clear from Fig. 3, and these ribs i are caused to urge or stretch the web in opposite directions from its middle as the idler is rotated by the web.

In Fig. 1 of the drawing I have v.shown asecond web-controlling idler roller R' rotatably supported by the frame of the machine'ibetween the idler R and the heating apparatus 20.

What I claim is: 1. In a coating machine of the character described, the combination with the web-heating apparatus and the guide'roll around which the web travels after passing said web-heating-apparatus, of a rotatable bi-conoidal web-supporting and web-actuated idler roller disposed between said heating apparatus and said guide roll and adjacent tothe latter, said .idler roller having its tapering portions provided exteriorly with righthand and left-hand helical ribs, respectively, for urging the portions of the web that are engaged thereby tr versely in opposite directions from the middle of the web thereby to maintain said .web portions flat as they move on to said guide site directions from its middle.

3. In a machine of the class described, a rotat able bi-conoidal web-supporting, web-centering and web-actuated idler roller whose tapering portions are provided exteriorly with right-hand and left-hand helical ribs, respectively, for urging the web transversely in opposite directions from its middle thereby to stretch the same transversely.

4. In a machine of the class described, the

combination with the web-supporting guide roll thereof, of a rotatable bi-conoidal web-supporting, web-centering and web-actuated idler roller disposed adjacent to and in front of said guide roll, said idler roller having its tapering portions provided exriorly withl rigntlnand and left-hand helical ribs, respectively. for urging the web transversely in opposite directions "from its middle so as to present the same ilatwise to said guide roll.

5. In a machine of the class described, a rotatable .web-supporting, web-centering andl web actuated idler rollerv comprising an exteriorly smooth wooden bi-conoidal core provided at its opposite ends with meta'l Journals; a metal wire wound in a right-hand direction on to one of the tapering portions of said core; a metal wire wound in aleft-hand direction on to the other tapering portion of said core, and means fastening said wires to said core with the convolutions of each winding in contacting relationship.

6. An idler roller constructed in accordance with claim 5 and wherein there is also provided means uniting the convolutions of said metal wire 50 windings.

LAURENCE R. CLARKE. 

